The team receiving their certificate and prize

Tracey Blandford, from Love Walton, presented teams from Walton & Hersham Foodbank and The Bridge with a certificate for being voted joint winners of the ‘Best Dressed Christmas Window 2023’ competition. Thank you to everyone who voted for our window!

The certificate will be proudly on display at The Bridge, located in Bridge Street, Walton on Thames.

Thank you to James Neave Estate Agents for sponsoring the window. We are happy to let you know that all the little elves were given to the families who visit The Bridge and Walton & Hersham Foodbank.

Best Dressed Window joint winner!

Nina Malyon, Manager of Walton & Hersham Foodbank says,

“We were delighted to come joint first in the competition. It was a lovely community initiative but also a great way to raise the profile of The Bridge and the support we are offering local families.”

We are experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of people being referred to us for emergency food support. We had anticipated a spike in demand due to the cost-of-living crisis but the number of people we are currently helping is much higher than we could ever have predicted.

We are acutely aware that we cannot keep ramping up the service indefinitely which is why we are focusing on involving more support services, particularly at The Bridge, to look at ways that we can help people out of crisis."

This January, in an average week, the foodbank fed 128 people. In January last year, they were feeding an average of 83 people per week. The increase in demand is clear.

The Bridge and Walton & Hersham Foodbank can only operate with the help of their team of volunteers and with kind donations of food and cash from our local community.

To find out how you can help, click here.

Does your charity want to get involved in more outdoor projects?
There are many things that affect our health that can’t be treated by doctors alone. Loneliness, stress, and anxiety caused by financial pressures or poor housing are things that can’t be treated with medicine. Green social prescribing connects people with non-medical support to help with issues like these.

How can Walton Charity help?
We have outdoor spaces around Elmbridge available for local organisations. You can refer the people you work with to our existing projects or come and run your own!

The community allotment
This project has been running for seven years on Terrace Road, Walton on Thames. Sessions run on Tuesdays and, as the weather gets warmer, on Fridays too. We would welcome any referrals to the project. It’s very flexible and relaxed and is attended by a wide range of volunteers with a mixture of vulnerabilities (physical, mental and emotional).

We are also happy for groups to do their own outdoor projects or use the space for meetings on other days of the week. You can find the allotment by searching for the postcode KT12 2DY, it’s really near the Xcel Leisure Centre. Read more about the project here.

The Tree Canopy Project
Located in a mini woodland site off Rydens Road, Walton on Thames, the Tree Canopy Project is home to Rewilding Forest School, who run forest school sessions for children throughout the year, and to other natural practitioners who run regular workshops for adults.

We are currently creating a new community growing space which will be available this spring for local charities and community groups to run outdoor activities and growing projects. The new space will include raised planters, sheds and green houses which groups can use for their own projects.

So, if you are a natural practitioner looking for a green space for your workshops, or a charity wanting to run your own green project, please get in touch to discuss opportunities. Email Karen Heynike kheynike@waltoncharity.org.uk or call her on 01932 220242.

The Molesey Churches Night Shelter opened its doors again at the beginning of December, offering emergency accommodation for people who are homeless over the winter months.

Up to 12 guests are housed each night, supported by the night shelter manager and an incredible team of volunteers, who offer homemade meals and a friendly listening ear. During their time at the shelter, guests can get help finding homes with long-term tenancies, can access specialist support through the Bridge the Gap* programme, and take steps towards rebuilding their lives.

The night shelter is very much a community venture and guests have described their experience there as one which made them feel part of a family.

Last year, Walton Charity funded the night shelter through our community grants programme and this year we are awarding a grant of £15,000.

“The support of Walton Charity has been crucial for us. Without it, we wouldn’t be able to stay open through the winter and would have had to close our doors on some of the coldest nights of the year. We also hugely appreciate the support they give beyond finances - we really feel this is a community partnership not just an exchange of finances.”

— Tim Malcolm, Molesey Churches Night Shelter & Social Action Director

The night shelter will stay open at St Peter’s Church Youth and Community Hub in West Molesey until the end of March 2024.

*Bridge the Gap - long-term specialist community outreach from multiple organisations to address complex needs of people facing multiple disadvantages, including homelessness, substance use, domestic abuse, mental health issues and contact with the criminal justice system. It helps people move on with their lives.

Walton Charity was delighted to host a visit from Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh on Thursday 18 January.

The Duchess met a number of Elmbridge community groups at Burview Hall – one of Walton Charity’s community properties and home of Elmbridge Mencap.

Her Royal Highness started her visit by meeting the Walton & Hersham Foodbank team where she helped to sort food donations and pack food parcels. She heard about the recent ‘Fill a Mini Challenge’ where food donations from the local community filled 20 Mini cars to mark 10 years of the foodbank. She also heard more about The Bridge – a new hub for families run by the foodbank and Walton Charity.

The Duchess then stopped to chat to Walton Charity’s independent living art group and admired their latest artwork before joining a parachute game and cookie-making session with members of Elmbridge Mencap’s Day Service and pupils from neighbouring Walton Leigh School. Moving to the games room, The Duchess enjoyed a game of table football, before bracing the cold weather to see Mencap’s new sensory garden.

Once outside, The Duchess heard from our Green Spaces Manager, Karen Heynike, about the activities she leads at our Community Allotment and our newest green venture – The Tree Canopy Project based in Walton Charity’s woodlands. She chatted with volunteers from the allotment about how the project has helped their mental health and built their confidence. She also joined the Elmbridge Tree Wardens to plant a tree.

Finally, the Duchess joined members of the women’s Guided Wellbeing group where she made a gratitude pebble for the group’s mandala* before children from Rewilding Forest School (another tenant of the Tree Canopy project) presented her with a portrait of The King made entirely from leaves!

After unveiling a plaque to mark this special royal visit, The Duchess was presented with a birthday cake and flowers and everyone sang a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday to mark her forthcoming birthday on 20 January.

“You have no idea how much I needed this, I have lost sleep worrying about Christmas and this will change that. Thank you!”

— One mum receiving Santa Stork presents

For the third year running, Walton Charity teamed up with Stripey Stork, to ensure more children across Elmbridge had a gift to open on Christmas Day.  

Thanks to the local residents, businesses, schools and community groups across Elmbridge who generously supported our Santa Stork Christmas Appeal, donating £7,421. With matched donations from both Walton Charity and Elmbridge Borough Council, the total raised was an amazing £22,263! 

Enough to fund Christmas gifts and stocking fillers for 1,025 local children.

This made such a difference to families who are struggling to make ends meet after another difficult year of rising living costs.  

One support worker shared their appreciation for Santa Stork:

“Thank you so much. The Christmas gifts make such a difference to the families I work with and really help their mental health at a time of pressure and stress when they desperately want to care for and treat their children.”

Nicola Dawes, Stripey Stork’s Founder and Chief Executive answers a few questions about the magic of Santa Stork.

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About the Santa Stork Appeal 

Throughout the year, Stripey Stork collects new and pre-loved baby items to distribute to families in need across Surrey. 

Their Santa Stork campaign provides brand new gifts to families who need a helping hand at this difficult time of year.  

All funds raised above our appeal target will support Elmbridge children. Whilst Stripey Stork meet requests from referral partners with pre-loved items, when these are not available, they will use our fund to purchase new items as required. 

Congratulations to Jean Rigden, a driving force behind Elmbridge Mencap, for picking up the Volunteer Award at the recent BBC Radio Surrey and Radio Sussex “Making A Difference” Awards.

When asked about the award, Jean Rigden said, “I have had a lot of help along the way and it seems very strange to get an award for doing something I love, and that keeps me going. The love I feel at Burview Hall, especially with the new Day Service, is amazing.”

Jean’s family have been involved with Elmbridge Mencap since 1955 when Jean’s mother joined the original association to help families in the local area. With support from her husband Eric, Jean has dedicated over 50 years to Elmbridge Mencap.

Elmbridge Mencap are based at Burview Hall, one of Walton Charity’s community properties available to local charities and community organisations for a low rent. Mencap use the hall to run regular activities and social clubs for people with learning disabilities and their families.

Jean has made a huge difference to local families. Well done and well deserved, Jean!

Thank you to everyone who supported our Cost of Living Appeal - whether that was by sharing or liking our social media posts or by donating.

More than 4,000 children live in poverty in Elmbridge and, thanks to the generosity of our local community, we will be able to help some of these families.

We are delighted to say that a massive £16,823 was raised by donations from our local community. This amazing total has been matched by both Elmbridge Borough Council and Walton Charity and over £50,000 has now been allocated to 10 local schools who each hold a Walton Charity’s Opportunities Fund.

Walton Charity’s Opportunities Funds are allocated to local Elmbridge schools and they use these funds specifically to support students from low-income families, including (but not exclusively) those eligible for Pupil Premium support. Information on the Fund and a full list of the schools we fund can be found here.

Thank you - we could not have done it without your support.

2023 has been another difficult year. Rising living costs have put extra pressure on family budgets and, as our recent research shows, in-work poverty in Elmbridge is on the rise.

But once again, our local community has stepped up to provide support to those who need it most.

The response to our Cost of Living appeal was phenomenal and, thanks to match funding from Elmbridge Borough Council, we raised over £50,000 to provide much-needed support to local families.

And this Christmas, residents, businesses, schools and community groups across Elmbridge have generously supported our Santa Stork Christmas appeal, ensuring more local children will have a present to open on Christmas day.

Throughout the year, we continued to work closely with our partners and community and, together, have taken steps to tackle poverty and inequality in our local area.

Here are some of our favourite moments from 2023…

• Funding more fantastic community projects including fresh recipe boxes for local families, financial inclusion advice for foodbanks clients, and practical and emotional support for local parents.

• Opening the doors to The Bridge our new community hub for families struggling with the rising cost of living. A big thanks to the young artists whose designs inspired the new Bridge logo!

• Welcoming our new Chief Executive, Rob Mills, who took over the reins in March after 2 years as a Walton Charity trustee. We also bid a fond farewell to Jackie Lodge, who led Walton Charity for 14 years.

• Watching our green spaces flourish - welcoming Rewilding Forest School and Guided Wellbeing to the Tree Canopy Project, and watching flowers, vegetables and friendships grow at our Community Allotment.

• Celebrating the talents of our independent living residents as they sewed, crafted and sowed for some of 2023’s biggest events.

• Filling 20 Minis full of food to mark 10 years of the Walton & Hersham foodbank and the vital support the team provide for local people in crisis.

For more on the stories behind these highlights, just click on the photos below.

Thank you to all of our partners, supporters, volunteers, staff and trustees who have helped to make these moments - and all our work - possible.

We look forward to working together again in 2024.

Opening the doors of The Bridge

Extending support for the BRITE box project

Welcoming our corporate volunteers

Filling 20 Minis full of food

Welcoming our new Chief Exec

Celebrating with our residents

Sharing our green spaces with local children

Helping Santa Stork deliver presents

Our CEO and two of our trustees joined more than 400 students at a recent celebration event at the Brooklands Innovation Academy, designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.   

The Academy connects young people aged 11-18 with scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians from leading businesses. Part of a national Science Summer School programme co-founded by Professor Brian Cox and Lord Andrew Mawson, it offers a hands-on ‘learning by doing’ approach, providing practical experience and guidance for engineers and scientists of the future. 

Image courtesy of JP Bland, for Brooklands Museum

The celebration event, led by Professor Cox, included 20 action-packed workshops – including a toothpaste-themed workshop attended by Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Edinburgh! 

Walton Charity recently supported Brooklands Museum with a £51,100 grant, over a three-year period, to aid learning and community engagement with local schools. 

Prioritising schools with a high percentage of pupil premium pupils, 5,400 Elmbridge young people will have access to a programme of curriculum-linked visits to Brooklands Museum. A further 250 Elmbridge young people will attend events at Brooklands Innovation Academy, giving them direct contact with STEM professionals.

Tamalie Newbery, Brooklands Museum’s CEO, said:

“At Brooklands, engineers who lived and worked in Elmbridge solved the problems of their day and broke boundaries in aviation and motorsport, with world-changing impacts.

We are delighted to work with so many partners and supporters, including Walton Charity, to keep this local legacy alive by inspiring and supporting young people to take up rewarding careers in STEM, whatever their backgrounds.”

The BRITE Box project continues to go from strength to strength, enabling Voices of Hope, who run the project, to help more Elmbridge families facing food insecurity.

With support from Walton Charity, BRITE Box expanded its service into Elmbridge last year - providing meal kits to families from seven local primary schools. A further community grant of £64,000 over three years, will enable the project to provide meal kits to 180 local families.

Each week, during the school term, the BRITE Box team of volunteers carefully prepare and pack the meal kits which are then delivered to families identified at risk of food insecurity. Each box contains an illustrated recipe guide and all the ingredients to prepare a healthy meal, on a budget, for a family of five.

This hands-on practical approach aims to bring families together around food, building skills and confidence to enjoy cooking as well as eating healthy meals.

“We partner today with nine schools in Elmbridge, and we supply 80 families across these schools with a BRITE Box each week and that’s thanks to the grant from Walton Charity.”

— Nick Dawson, BRITE Box Project Lead

This year, Walton and Hersham Foodbank turns 10, and to mark the anniversary we challenged our local community to fill a Mini (or two!) with donations for the foodbank.

Although not a milestone to celebrate, the 10th anniversary is an opportunity to recognise the vital support from our local community over the past 10 years.

Building on this support, we challenged local businesses and community groups to help us fill 10 Minis with essential items most-needed by the foodbank. Our local community certainly rose to the challenge! They smashed the target, filling 20 Minis which equates to a staggering 2.2 tonnes of food and essentials!

The current cost-of-living crisis is pushing more and more people into financial crisis and many families in our local area are struggling to make ends meet. A growing number of people are relying on foodbanks, and we are seeing a marked increase in the number of working families needing our support for the first time.

A huge thank you to everyone who took part in the challenge and donated food and household items, including:

• Weybridge Vandals

• Amanda Flory Hairdressing

• Elmbridge Canoe Club

• Haleon

• Weybridge Mummies Mafia

• P&G

• Morrisons

• Esher Manor Care Home

• Walton Voices

• U3A

• James Neave

• Weybridge WI

• Sean Alexander Hair Studio

• And our local community on Walton Heritage Festival Day

See how you can support the Walton & Hersham foodbank here.

A newly awarded community grant will enable Cleves School to continue offering after-school tuition clubs in maths, reading, spelling and writing for disadvantaged pupils with low attainment levels. The school has offered these clubs before and seen great results from the fun and engaging educational activities. These extra learning opportunities will benefit 450 children in Years 3-6 over the next three years.

We know that education is one of the best routes out of poverty and improving educational opportunity and attainment for children in Elmbridge is one of Walton Charity’s key priorities. Each year, we award grants and funding to local schools to support disadvantaged pupils with learning and other enrichment activities.

Chris Hodges, Headteacher, said “We are delighted and very grateful to receive support from Walton Charity which will enable our pupils to receive more opportunities.”

Read more about our work with schools across Elmbridge – including our Opportunities Funding for local schools here